The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced plans to update nutrition labels to better reflect the latest nutrition science. The changes include making more realistic serving sizes, and including "added sugar" amounts on the label.
The government's proposed changes to nutrition labels appear to be a positive − and long overdue − move in the right direction. In fact, the changes being proposed might even spur food and beverage companies to introduce healthier options.
We're a big fan of changing serving sizes on products that can be consumed in one sitting, so that the whole product is considered a single serving. For example, under the proposal, both 12- and 20-ounce bottles of soda would be considered one serving, because people usually drink the whole bottle in either case (per the FDA).
But alone, are these changes enough to combat the rising obesity levels in this country, especially among kids and teens? To be sure, having a clear nutrition label is important, but label changes single-handedly will unlikely curb our nations obesity epidemic. Other changes are needed, especially better access to healthy foods and beverages, as well as a reduction in marketing unhealthy foods.
All in all, we believe the proposed changes are good news for consumers, especially considering that studies have shown that people who read labels eat healthier.